Registration opens:
November 19th, 2026

Poetry Reading and Open Mic

Local poets will each share a short poetry reading. After, we invite you to share your own work.

December poets include Mary Lea Crawley and Marcia LeBeau.

Mary Lea Crawley has taught writing and mindfulness at the college and high school levels. Early in her career, she worked as a Poet-in-the-Schools in Morris County. Mary Lea earned a doctorate in writing from Drew University and an M.A. in Writing form the University of San Francisco. Her work has been published in Portland Magazine and Runner's World. Currently, she teaches high school English in Chatham and lives in Madison with her husband.

Marcia LeBeau won the 2026 Rattle Poetry Prize for her poem, “When I Tell People My Sister Has Down Syndrome.” She is the author of A CURIOUS HUNGER (Broadstone Books, 2024). Her poems, essays and reviews have appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine, New Ohio Review, Rattle, Painted Bride Quarterly, Atticus Review, Moon City Review, and elsewhere. She was a third-place winner of the 2023 Allen Ginsberg Award and her work has received several Pushcart Prize nominations. She holds an MFA in poetry from Vermont College of Fine Arts, is a teaching artist and energy healer.

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